Nuch's Pizzeria

Nuch York State of Mind

As the setting sun illuminated the interior of Nuch’s Pizzeria on a recent visit, the small family-owned café took on a magical glow. Enticing, yeasty aromas filled the air, and the rust-colored walls and upholstered banquettes seemed all the more inviting.

Owned by Heath Koltenuk and his wife, Debi, Nuch’s (pronounced nooches) occupies a formerly funky little space on 2300 East, just before the street becomes an Interstate 80 on-ramp. I’d classify it as a polished, yet casual, neighborhood date-night place, or a perfect mid-week indulgence, marred only by the lack of a wine license. The Koltenuks are optimistically working on changing that. (If wine is a must, you can always order takeout and enjoy it at home.)

Nuch’s claims to fame are its brick-oven pizzas and handmade pastas. Though they call their pizza “New York-style,” that description might not pass muster with the hard-core. But, I’m not going to quibble; the crust is fairly thin and has a nice bit of chewiness to it, though it’s not exactly your basic floppy, foldable New York pizza. It is fresh-made and topped with an array of carefully balanced, quality ingredients. Nuch’s offers about nine pizza variations as well as calzones. Appetizers and tempting salads fill up about half the menu, so you won’t lack for choices.

A “spring salad” of lettuce, watercress, grilled asparagus in a subtle mustard/tarragon vinaigrette was generously sized and absolutely satisfying. Since Koltenuk makes his own ricotta, we opted for the “Ultimate White” pizza as an entrée. Layered with ricotta, garlic, prosciutto and judicious amounts of mozzarella and Parmesan, topped with garden-fresh arugula, it was divine—creamy, but not overly rich. This was just a first taste. We’ll definitely be back for a second helping.%uFFFD